Turn on the television on any day of the week, and you’re likely to find any number of home improvement shows, all of which aim to make home decorating and design more approachable for the everyday people thinking about home renovation or design. But attempting to tackle your interior design needs without expert help can lead to overspending and mistakes. Instead, it’s best to seek the help of a professional.
From the time she was young, Natalie Spiniolas knew she had an eye for detail and design. From spending time in her aunt’s drapery workshop to building her career as a custom cabinet designer, Spiniolas finds beauty in creating, collecting, organizing and designing. She recently combined all of these experiences into a custom interior design firm, Tailored Spaces. Spiniolas says her business allows her to “[create] spaces that provide the ultimate in enjoyment and comfort while ensuring a functional aesthetic.”
Headquartered in nearby Harvard, Illinois, Spiniolas says that more than 85 percent of her clients live in Walworth County. Like many homeowners and visitors, Spiniolas is drawn to the beauty of the Lake Geneva area, but she says she also loves the relationships she has been able to build with the tradespeople, contractors and suppliers in the area.
Spiniolas strives to incorporate her ideas in rewarding ways. In one recent project, she designed the guest home for a fashion influencer, incorporating a sports-viewing room that featured concealed televisions, as well as what she calls “a showstopper closet” with a rolling library ladder. Another recent project incorporated the client’s own stained-glass windows and custom barn doors. Mixing materials in this way often enhances what the designer calls “visual texture.”
This year, Spiniolas is hoping to further expand her portfolio, including the opportunity to work in vintage-inspired homes, or even a converted factory or loft building, allowing her to include reclaimed design elements or “found pieces.” Spiniolas says she and her team are “adamant about staying on top of industry trends, and are always up-to-date with leading vendor products. We do everything we can to guarantee that each project is paired with the proper materials and budget.”
For homeowners, collaborating with a company like Tailored Spaces also alleviates the stress surrounding the task of beautifying their spaces. Spiniolas says it’s important for homeowners to consider not just a potential “wish list” of design ideas but also a list of the challenges they are trying to solve in the home. “These become the most important things we want to change for our clients,” Spiniolas explains. She encourages clients to save magazine clippings or start a Pinterest board of ideas they love. “In many cases, we can look at these images and see clear patterns that sometimes even the clients themselves don’t see.”
Whether it’s new construction, renovation and remodeling projects or simply product selection and design consulting for decoration, Spiniolas and her team are able to create a design plan that meets every homeowner’s need.
The company also has a retail branch called Varnished Velvet by Tailored Spaces, located at the Excursion Market in the Starline Factory in Harvard and open five days a week. The retail branch offers homeowners a chance to view things hand-selected by Spiniolas and her team — “our favorite products, vintage finds, homemade décor and small cabinetry pieces,” Spiniolas explains.
300 W. Front St., Ste. 105A, Harvard, IL | 815-770-0390 | tailoredspacesllc.com
